Solved an Issue - ABS Light Randomly Turning On

[CowPimp]

I had a weird problem where my ABS light would randomly come on. Two things seemed to aggravate the issue: rain and really cold weather. Upon starting the car, the ABS brakes would work fine anywhere from 10-40 minutes before the light would come on. Turning the car off and on would return them to working condition.

I seem to have solved it so very simply: I thoroughly bled my brakes. It's been a few days of my 60 minute round trip drive to work without the light coming on. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I thought this might be helpful to anyone else who has this issue.

 

[jtmcinder]

Bummer. When it does not blink at all, that usually means the ABS-ECU is gone. If you're lucky, it's the fuse or a loose wire, but without even one blink, the diagnostic ground is not going to help you and a MUT-II will probably report "can't connect to ECU."

In case you want to try anyway, here's the diagnostic thread: http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197283

- Jtoby

 

[6bolt2g]

Bummer. When it does not blink at all, that usually means the ABS-ECU is gone. If you're lucky, it's the fuse or a loose wire, but without even one blink, the diagnostic ground is not going to help you and a MUT-II will probably report "can't connect to ECU."

In case you want to try anyway, here's the diagnostic thread: http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197283

- Jtoby

I did that and it just stayed on solid and didnt blink. My abs def doesnt work since i tested it out in the rain today. Maybe the ecu for the abs is fried.

 

[Woodsy0]

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but I'm having this problem too. I stuck some wire in pin 1 of the datalink connector, started the car, and all the light did was blink very rapidly for about half a second, and then stayed on solid. This is the same thing that happens when I start the car regularly, without grounding the pin. Does this mean the ECU is the culprit?

Thanks.

 

[jtmcinder]

Normal start-up is four blinks. If it does this and then goes solid, it's not as bad as a dead ECU, since a MTU-II will be able to read the code and the grounding trick should work, which is done after the car is started, IIRC.

- Jtoby

 

[Woodsy0]

Good to know. Thanks for the help.

 

[6bolt2g]

My abs light just stays on solid. It went away for a few days but its back now. Sometimes I will turn the car off and back on again it will go away. This problem is so annoying. I am going to take it to a shop that has one of those abs mut II readers and get this fixed!

 

[eclipsegsx1736]

Is not having ABS annoying, or is the light annoying? Personally I don't like ABS and I disabled it temporarily by pulling the fuse until I get around to doing the non-ABS conversion. If you just want to get rid of the light, pull the instrument cluster (easy) and remove the bulb for the ABS light.

 

[jtmcinder]

My abs light just stays on solid. It went away for a few days but its back now. Sometimes I will turn the car off and back on again it will go away. This problem is so annoying. I am going to take it to a shop that has one of those abs mut II readers and get this fixed!

Sounds like a wheel-speed-sensor wire. If the reader says there's no problem, bounce the car up and down. It's often the hoop of wire that absorbs the movement of the suspension, so bouncing the car can break the connection for a moment and tell you which wheel it is.

- Jtoby

 

[Woodsy0]

I don't understand how I'm doing this wrong. I tried grounded pin 1 with both a wire and then a paper clip, I tried grounding the pin before turning the key to ON and once after the key had been turned to ON, and the light doesn't blink any code for me to diagnose...Just those four rapid fire blinks and then solid...What could I be doing differently than what is instructed in the tech article about this?

Scott

 

[jtmcinder]

Doesn't the 95 have NipponDenso ABS? Maybe the grounding trick only works on Bosch. I've never worked on anything other than the 2Gb Bosch.

- Jtoby

 

[silvah_gsx]

If you're not driving in the rain, then as eclipsegsx1736254963289834 said, you're better off w/o ABS, because it kicks in so early it doesn't let you use the maximum of the brakes.

Could anything have damaged the connections by the wheel speed sensor? Some debris or something...

 

[6bolt2g]

If you're not driving in the rain, then as eclipsegsx1736254963289834 said, you're better off w/o ABS, because it kicks in so early it doesn't let you use the maximum of the brakes.

Could anything have damaged the connections by the wheel speed sensor? Some debris or something...

The light is annoying first of all and I did clean all the sensors with some carb cleaner. Sprayed it in there nice and good. It could be one of the wheel sensors just breaking connection. Wouldnt the light only go on if one of the sensor was bad and the car is in motion? Or once the connection for the wheel sensor is broken, it turns off the abs and throws the light?

 

[MrBoxx]

Doesn't the 95 have NipponDenso ABS? Maybe the grounding trick only works on Bosch. I've never worked on anything other than the 2Gb Bosch.

- Jtoby

I believe it does have the NipponDenso ABS module. Mine's shot, and thus the ABS light has been on for the past two years. I prefer the lack of pulsating brake pedals to paying Mitsu $1300 for the part as well as the labor to replace it, at least until I find a junkyard car and grab its module.

 

[6bolt2g]

I believe it does have the NipponDenso ABS module. Mine's shot, and thus the ABS light has been on for the past two years. I prefer the lack of pulsating brake pedals to paying Mitsu $1300 for the part as well as the labor to replace it, at least until I find a junkyard car and grab its module.

I went to a shop that has the snap on tool to read the codes. The snap reader told us to ground pin 1 and of course, nothign happened. So I guess my ABS ecu is shot.

 

[93EclipseGS]

when all those things happen, it is the alternator. it happened to me the other day and it was just a loose alternator belt. also, my car seems to like going thru alternators. they begin to squeel when its cold out when i have all my accessories on

 

[snowboarda10hal]

Every now and the my ABS light comes on, i was wondering what could cause this and what could be going on? It seems like there i salittle fricton when i drive and when i'm parked on small hills my car tends not to roll even when i'm not in gear???

 

[Blue95GST]

the brakes are propbably rubbing due to sticky caliper pistons or the metal slides that the pads are on, and the abs light is probably dirt or something obstrucing the eye of the sensor

 

[luv2rallye]

If light stays on see: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=197283

 

[SleepingTsi94]

I have a abs light that has been on eversince I swaped motors and can't seem to get rid of it. I have tried pulling fues and everything. Can I just unplug the computer and be fine?

 

[xioca]

It's because of your data logger (assuming you have one because it's in your profile). Search here and DSMTalk because I know there is a how to on how to modify your cable it will keep the abs working. Or you could just plug in your cable after you start your car for the same effect.

 

[SleepingTsi94]

It has been on before I ever had the data logger in.

 

[ascopel]

I don't believe that the grounding trick works for the Nippondenso ABS ECU, but it does work for the Bosch. Anyone know how to diagnose the Nippondenso ABS unit? My ABS light just came on yesterday and I know that the ECU is okay because the light will flash 4 times before turning off when I start the car. It will then go on solid after moving the car 10 to 20 feet.

If the problem is indeed a wheel speed sensor whether dirty, malfunctioning, or a severed wire, it sure would be nice to go to the exact sensor so that I do not have to take all four tires off and possibly rotors.

 

[BaliTSI]

I would also like to know if there is a way to get the trouble codes for the early 2Gs as grounding pin1 did not work on my car either.

 

[Silversurfermd]

I know this question has been asked before but I don't know what to do at this point. My ABS light flickers on startup and then stays on constantly. I went to dealership to diagnose the problem and they told me the ABS ECU is bad and $750 to fix. I bought an ABS ECU from a junkyard 95 AWD (Nippon), installed it and the damn light is still on!

Are BOTH ECU's bad or did s8tan get it wrong? I guess it could be a sensor...but how do I diagnose this on my own?

 

[blazeonenet]

I remember reading somewhere about faulty connections at the ABS ECU check the connectors if they got any white or green stuff growin on em, clean then snap back together. I will look for where I found that.